Capital PressAmazon may be heading for a food price war with its acquisition of Whole Foods, and initial cuts have targeted the organic produce sector that's becoming more important to the Washington tree fruit industry, an industry expert says.
Seattle-based online giant Amazon closed a $13.7 billion deal Aug. 28 to buy Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc. and the same day cut prices of bananas 38 percent, organic baby kale 12 percent and tilapia 33 percent.READ MORE

Food Dive In order to be considered "natural," food products must be free from preservatives as well as artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners, according to an online survey of 5,175 people from 10 countries by GNT Group.
Two-thirds said they routinely check ingredients, and if they don't have time to individually evaluate every product component, they scan the label to make sure there are no ingredients they're trying to avoid.
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Washington Examiner U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue publicly warned the White House against pulling out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a sign that big business is getting increasingly worried about how Trump's effort to renegotiate the deal will play out.
In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Donohue said Trump's periodic threats to pull out of the deal if the renegotiations do not provide enough benefit to the U.S. "must be taken seriously." READ MORE

Food Safety NewsTimed to coincide with the third round of talks over renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), two Canadian think tanks are suggesting NAFTA 2.0 should include a bilateral food protection system.
The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and the Canada Institute of the Wilson Center have teamed up to promote "new thinking" about safety to encourage debate within the NAFTA renegotiation talks.READ MORE

Reuters For low-income U.S. adults, enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may be associated with lower health spending, a new study suggests.
SNAP provides a monthly grocery allowance to roughly one in seven Americans, researchers note in JAMA Internal Medicine. The federal government determines eligibility based on household income, but enrollment policies vary by state.READ MORE

Reuters China plans to delay a deadline for implementing new food import regulations by two years until October 2019, a senior EU official said, following a lobbying effort by Europe and the United States amid concerns about disruption to trade.
The extension comes just days before the new rules, which are part of a drive by China to boost oversight of its sprawling food supply chain, were due to come into force.READ MORE

Natural Resources Defense CouncilOnce again, California is leading the charge on sustainability solutions. Sitting on the governor's desk are two bills that will help cut through confusion and encourage getting good food into people's bellies instead of tossed into the trash. READ MORE

Food Dive With health and wellness as one of the biggest trends in the industry today, it's not surprising that consumers are looking for food and drink that can do more than just sate their appetites. Functional foods are growing at a 6.5 percent compound annual growth rate in the U.S., and ingredients that benefit health are increasingly in demand.
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Reuters via CNBCNestle, under pressure from activist shareholder Third Point, set an operating margin target for the first time, although it was seen as conservative and fell short of rival Unilever's ambitions.
Investors are looking for proof that the world's largest packaged food company can improve its performance under new CEO Mark Schneider as the food sector faces a challenge from smaller upstart brands and changing consumer tastes and habits.READ MORE

Food Dive One of Aldi's key strategies is to limit its product selection, which allows the chain to keep prices low while also focusing on quality and inciting a sense of urgency in its customers.
The discounter competes heavily with Walmart on price, and recent studies show the chain is besting the big-box store. READ MORE